Eleutheria Ministries: Truths From God's Word

Today we will be embarking on a new study. Fresh Oil: Maintaining Our Lamp to Radiate His Glory.  As I was praying about 2026 and the direction the Lord wanted me to take in my blog, I heard Holy Spirit say, “Fresh Oil.”  I was at once reminded of the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25.  As I thought about this, I felt impressed to dig into the Biblical significance of lamps and oil and what it looks like for a Believer to maintain their lamp (our life of holiness and witness for Christ). In the scripture the lamp often represented Holy Spirit. In this lesson we will look at two ways Holy Spirit helps us maintain our own lamp.  First, Holy Spirit guides and instructs us (illuminates or brings light). Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (AMPC) The earliest lamps known in archaeology were simply handmade ceramic bowls with nothing to distinguish them from other bowls, except for carbon soot spots visible on the rim.  They wou...

Today we will finish our study on Intimacy in Christ by looking at Psalm 23:6b. Psalm 23:6b, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (ESV) We must make the Lord our dwelling place by abiding in Him. John 15:4, Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (ESV) To abide means to stay where you are. The Christian has been placed in Christ; that is his position. In daily walk, he should stay in intimate fellowship with the Lord. A branch abides in a vine by drawing all its life and nourishment from the vine. So we abide in Christ by spending time in prayer, reading and obeying His Word, fellowshiping with His people, and being continually conscious of our union with Him. As we thus maintain constant contact with Him, we are conscious of His abiding in us and supplying us with spiritual strength and resources. The branch can only bear fruit as it abides in the vine. The only way beli...

Today we will look at Psalm 23:6a in our study on intimacy with Christ.  Psalm 23:6a, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. (ESV) In this first half of verse 6, David address two attributes of God: goodness and mercy.  Goodness God’s nature is goodness.  Goodness is the state of being good; the physical qualities which constitute value, excellence or perfection. God acts in goodness (kindness, favor shown; acts of benevolence, compassion or mercy) toward his children. i.   To say that God is good means that God always acts in accordance to what is right, true, and good. Goodness is part of God’s nature, and He cannot contradict His nature. The fact that God is good means that He has no evil in Him, His intentions and motivations are always good, He always does what is right, and the outcome of His plan is always good (see Genesis 50:20). There is nothing unpleasant, evil, or dark in Him. ii. Psalm 34:8, O taste and see that the Lord ...

Isaiah 9:6-7, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. The First Advent is described in verse 6a: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” The first clause speaks of His humanity, the second of His deity. The next part of the verse points forward to the Second Advent: • the government will be upon His shoulder—He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. The rest of the verse describes His personal glories: • His name will be called Wonderful—this name is a noun, not an adjective, and speaks of His Person and work. • Counselor—His wisdom in governmen...

Today we will begin looking at Psalm 23:5b as we continue our study on intimacy with Christ.  Psalm 23:5b, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Anoint my head with oil. I want to look at four types of anointings found in the Word.   First, kingly anointing (anointing for leadership).  We find this kingly anointing described in 1 Samuel 10 and 16.    In 1 Samuel 10, we read that the people had rejected God as their king, by demanding a human king. God, in response to the request of the people, sent Samuel to anoint Saul as king. In Saul, God chose someone who would meet the desires and expectations of the people.  Saul was handsome and was a head taller than any of the people (1 Samuel 9:2).  However, we know that because his heart was not toward God first, Saul turned his back on God and followed his own desires (1Samuel 13).  In 1 Samuel 16, we see Samuel the prophet once again being called on by God to anoint a new king for Israel...

Today we will be looking at Psalm 23:5a as we continue our study on intimacy with Christ.  Psalm 23:5a, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Eating a meal is an exercise in intimacy; it is familial and relational. Perhaps the most relational activity humans participate in-which is likely why Jesus talks about Himself as the bread of life and uses the last supper as a message to His disciples. It is why Jesus tells us that the way to purchase all the gold we want from Him, all the treasure we desire, is to listen to His voice, and invite Him in to dine with Him (Revelation 3:18-20). It is why Christians practice the taking of communion, which is an excerpt from the Passover meal, and a discipline familiar to church history, as is the practice of praying before a meal. There is something very sacred about eating together. The picture here is of God preparing a meal, and sitting down to have an intimate dinner, in the very presence of the dark circumstances, in...

Webster’s 1828 dictionary says gratitude is an emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness.  God desires relationship and intimacy with us.  One way we can share intimacy with him is through thanksgiving.  When someone does something for me, no matter how great or small, I say, “Thank you” and try to return in kind.  That is how I was raised.  We show gratitude when others bless us. In our culture today, you can often tell which young adults, teens and children were/are being raised by Christian parents, by their level of gratitude.  Sadly, we have a generation of children who were/are being raised to think more of themselves than of others.  This breaks my heart because I know it breaks God’s heart.  Not only do many fail to be grateful for what God has done, many fail to acknowledge his existence at all, passing Christianity/the Word off as a myth or man-ma...